


Green for Good

by Coffeechickn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 18:11:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffeechickn/pseuds/Coffeechickn
Summary: Elphaba Thropp is on the run again, and she ends up at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  There she finds the help of a handsome professor.





	Green for Good

Elphaba flew through the sky, alone once again. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes as she clung tight to the broom handle. Sobs escaped her as she climbed higher and higher. Not knowing if the gasps of air she tried to get into her lungs were from the altitude, or from the heartbreaking ache that poured out of her body. She didn't know where to go now. Fyiero was gone. There wouldn't be any more happy-endings for them. For her. She touched the side of her face, and came away with blood on her fingers. She was weak, and she would have to save her energy for healing later. She cast a spell unto the broom not knowing where she intended to go, just that it had to be somewhere safe. The words seeped out of her like the tears from her eyes and the blood from her wounds. She collapsed onto the broom as she felt it go into auto-pilot, and her body sunk into a deep trance. She dreamed of love, fire, and betrayal. A swirl of emotions that were no longer under her control, as the spell took over and she let the darkness take over. 

She slept and slept until she awoke with a start. "Fyiero!!" she screamed as her eyes flew open from the sight of her love burning in that field. It was pitch black, save for a couple slivers of moonlight coming through the cracks from somewhere above. She panted trying to catch her breath. Blinking to get her eyes to adjust, she realized that she was no longer flying but was lying on the ground. Cold and shivering from the remnants of the dream, or perhaps the cold air around her, she shook her head to clear the dizzy feeling in her head. 

"mmmmm" she groaned. She was worse off than she thought. Her head pounded, and her side ached as she strained to sit up. Also, she had no idea where she was or whether she was safe. "Lumos" she breathed quietly as a small candle lit off the table to the left. She rubbed her eyes, head aching from the after effects of the spell, or perhaps the wounds she still failed to take care of, which she wasn't sure. "I can't believe he's gone." she whispered. 

She’d done what she had to, in order save herself. He had no longer been the man she had loved and it was for the better. Though the ache was so presently there. The wizarding war may be “over” but the battle was still raging on in parts of the world. Even more so in her heart. If only she knew where she was now. She stretched out her arms reaching for a stray candle on the table to try to get a look at her surroundings. Her side stung from the quick motion, and she winced in pain. It seems the broom had brought her to...a shack? The dilapidated building was barely standing against the wind outside. She could feel the cold air of the snow and wind creeping into the boards of the tiny, little building. She groaned as she stood up, the dull ache in her head pulsed with every move she made. She opened her cracked lips releasing a dry cold breath of air. She was parched. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had something to drink, much less eat. She rummaged through her bag but came up empty handed. If only she had packed more useful things, but then again, she hadn't been prepared to flee so quickly. Bringing herself to her feet, she peeked out the windows that looked as if they had been boarded up ages ago. 

Wherever she was, it was definitely a lot colder than where she had been. She pulled her cloak around her tight, scoping out the surroundings.  
To the east she saw the faint hint of lights of what could be a village. The rest, all she could see was trees and snow. She needed to find something to drink, and to take care of her head.  
She reached down and put her broom inside her bag with the expanding charm. She didn't know what kind of village this was, but she didn't need to make it obvious she was a witch walking around with a broom in her hands. It was hard enough already, when everyone always stared at the color of her skin. If she was sure of one thing, it was she was as far away from Oz than she had ever been before. Good. Hopefully she was safe. For now.

She found the entrance to the south side of the building, and pushed against the creaking old wood. The door to the shack would barely budge against the fallen snow outside, but she managed to open it enough for her to squeeze through. She began to walk through the snow toward the faint light she had seen before. Hopefully there would be a place to get food, water and ingredients for an elixir or two. She had very little money left on her, but she would have to make do. She didn't have the strength to fly, much less cast a warming spell around her so she trudged on. She needed to get to the village as soon as possible, she could feel her energy draining with every step.

Stumbling her way to a clearing through the trees, she saw what looked like a building row full of small shops and perhaps an inn of some kind. She pressed on against the wind and snow flowing around her, each step harder than the last. Her eyes began to flutter as she felt her strength giving way. She had to...had to make it...just a few more steps...her vision swirled as it came in and out of focus. The world came and went as though through a tunnel as she took three more steps, and then fell face forward into the snow. 

"Miss?! Miss! Are you ok?" A new voice exclaimed accompanied by the sound of footsteps in the snow. She tried to keep conscious, what if this person was to hurt her? Take her back? She reached out trying to shield herself, "Please....please...don't…hurt me" she whimpered. She could feel a pair of warm hands grab her shoulders and turn her over in the snow. An audible *gasp* and the faint "oh my god" of a deep male voice. "I'm...not...I'm not...wicked" she whispered as the world went black. A flash of soft green eyes is all she saw as she let the darkness engulf her once again. This time for good.

\----*****-----

Neville had been having the worst day, the second years in his class that afternoon had been almost uncontrollable. All of them had been freaking out over the Yule Ball coming up that following weekend. No one had been paying attention to his lesson, and one of the Slytherin boys had put a screaming goat potion in his smoothie, making it near impossible to get everyone under control. He rubbed his face with his hands and then reached into his coat for his wand. He really needed a drink. The Three broomsticks it was. Opening the secret drawer under his desk, he pulled out an old piece of parchment paper. "I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good" he proclaimed as he touched his wand to the old paper. Words and the outline of the school magically appeared in front of him. "Thank you, Harry,” he mumbled to himself and proceeded to check all the ways out of the large castle without being seen. He wasn't on hall duty tonight, but it was a Tuesday and McGonagall didn't like the professors to drink during the week. The last thing he needed was a lecture. It would be good for him to go for a walk to clear his mind, then top it off with a warm butterbeer. 

Once he saw that the coast was clear he headed out though one of the secret passageways that lead to Hogsmeade. The wind was whipping and the snow was blowing from what seemed like all directions. He really hoped he didn't run into Hannah, especially since she had recently started dating again. He had heard she was with Justin Finch-Fletchley, whom she had claimed was "just a friend" over and over when they had been together. Seeing her with him would just be the icing on the cake. He pulled his coat tighter as he approached the small village, shuddering at the thought when he heard a noise. He could see a small black figure stumbling in the snow, from the direction of the Shrieking Shack. He squinted his eyes, trying to see if it was one of the students sneaking out of the castle. He saw the figure lurch forward onto the snow. Running toward the mystery person, he noticed a small trail of blood on the snow leading to where there...was it a woman? now lay. She had a long thin body, wrapped in a cloak, with hair splayed out around her.

"Miss?! Miss! Are you ok?" he yelled as he got near the woman. "please...please...don't...hurt me" he heard the woman faintly say as he lay his hands on her body to turn her over. As soon as he did he gasped, letting out an involuntary "oh my god" as he saw the woman was green! GREEN! "I'm...not...I'm not...wicked" she whispered as she lost consciousness. 

He didn’t know why, but somewhere in his heart he knew he had to help this strange girl. She would surely freeze to death in this weather, and the wound on her head was about as nasty as the one he'd had at the battle of Hogwarts. He knew he shouldn't apparate with her unconscious, but with her passed out on the ground he knew he needed to get her back to the castle as soon as possible. Rules be damned. He put his arms under her knees and head and apparated straight to his chambers.  
He would have taken her to the infirmary but how would he explain to the staff the strange green woman he found? He proceeded to lay her on his bed, and then scrounge around for his emergency healing kit. Being clumsy sometimes had its perks. He gave her one of his strengthening solutions, did a replenishing charm, and then searched around for some bandages. He slowly sat on the bed next to her, as to not jostle her too much. That's when he got a really good look at her for the first time. She was beautiful, and green. Not sickly green but green like the grassy knolls of home. She had soft features, with long black eyelashes and silky-smooth black hair. Subtle pink lips, that were parted just the slightest bit with every breath she took. He brushed the long hair out of her face, and had to tell himself to concentrate at the task at hand and stop staring at her. "Tergeo" he whispered, as the blood dissipated. Lightly he dabbed the healing oil onto her scalp, while trying not to awaken her. That's when he noticed there was blood seeping out onto his quilt from her side. "Shit!" No wonder there was so much blood on the snow. 

The dress she was wearing was blocking his access to her wound, so he grabbed some of his preening sheers and started cutting the dress from the bottom. As he began to cut, his hands moved up along her body. She had long smooth green legs, that lead to curvy hips and her small tight waist… "nope. not going there. you are not a perv." he said to himself as he covered up the bottom half of her body with the bed sheet. Even though he had to admit to himself, that he had snuck a glance or two at her and her tight pink underwear. "yes, well" he mumbled to himself slightly blushing at the thought. He was able to cut the bottom half of the dress off, but had trouble at the top. 

Her large chest rose and fell with her even breathing and his hands began to shake as he cut away the material near her breast. Pulling the rest of the dress away he was taken aback by the sight of her. She had a silky lace bra that had matched the underpants he had seen moments before, and the rise and fall of her cleavage made Neville's cheeks warm. That's when he noticed the scarring on her shoulders. The subtle lighter green lines stood raised on her skin. He instinctively reached to touch them with his fingertips, but stopped himself short. He didn't know what had come over him, he was better than this.  
Shaking his head, he accessed the wounds. There were cuts and bruises on her arms and side, but the main injury was on her left side, near the rib cage about two inches wide. As he started to clean the wound out he could see there was something lodged in it. Using a set of tweezers he pulled the object out, it was the small tip of what looked like a curved spear head. Setting it on the tray, he lightly poured one of the Essence of Dittany potions he had in his kit on the laceration, and wrapped it in gauze bandages. 

Covering her with the blanket, he picked up the tray and took it over to the small dining table he had in the corner. Looking around he noticed how messy he had allowed the place to become. As he began to clean up his chambers as he was suddenly very aware of sad state of his room. He reached over to pick up a dirty pair of Gryffindor boxers he had laying on the floor when a scream startled him in the silence. She was awake.

"Whoa, Whoa! You're ok! You're ok, you're safe! Shhhh! Shhh!" the man exclaimed waving a flag of sorts in his hands as she tried to sit up. "Stay...stay back! who are you? Where am I?!" Elphaba exclaimed. The man walked closer to the bed, flag stretched out in his hands towards her as she tried to scooch herself further back onto bed and away from the man. "Ow! My... oh!" She grabbed her side wincing in pain from the quick movement. Looking down at the source of her pain she realized...She was naked! Well not NAKED, but definitely not decent! She scrambled on the bed covering herself with a stray pillow. "What did you do to me?! Why am I NAKED?! and...and are you waving underwear at me!?" That's when Neville noticed he still had his boxers in the hand he was waving to try and calm her down. He turned bright pink and shoved them into his back pocket. "I...I umm.. You were out in snow and you fell and...I...I promise I mean you no harm!" "Well, if you were trying to help me WHY AM I NAKED?!"she exclaimed. "You were bleeding and I had to remove your dress to get to your wound and trust me I would NEVER…" 

*knock knock knock* 

“Oh bloody hell.." exclaimed Neville, turning towards the door. With a panicked look on his face he made the motion of putting his index finger to his mouth in a SHHH position and then jogged over to the door at the far wall. "Just a minute!" he proclaimed to the unknown person at the door. PLEASE! He mouthed to Elphaba as he made a waving motion with his hands for her to hide. Elphaba paused then nodded her head yes and once he saw she had climbed onto the other side of the four-poster, he tousled a hand through his hair and cracked open the door. 

Elphaba crouched over behind a dresser as the door opened, trying to hide herself from view from whomever was knocking. She glanced around for a better hiding spot. There were some green curtains by the window, what luck! She inched her way over to them when she saw a shirt on the back of a chair. Grabbing it, and throwing it over her head she noticed the large bandage on her side. He HAD helped her. Huh? she thought as she slid behind the curtain that was a couple shades darker than she. She had to trust this guy right? I mean she wasn't in as near amount of pain as she had felt earlier, and she still had her knickers on. Reaching up to her scalp, she noticed the wound was nearly gone as well. How long had she been out? Staying still as she could, she listened in to try to answer some of the nagging questions in her head.

"Mr. Longbottom! Why pray tell am I getting notification that you are apparating into your chambers at such a late hour?!" an older woman's voice said. "Oh! Professor…I mean Headmistress McGonagall it’s really nothing important and there’s really no reason to…" The door was pushed open by a sophisticated Scottish woman in a long dressing gown who proceeded to walk into and look around the room alarmingly. “You know I gave all the professors the ability to apparate when they needed to into the castle but waking an old woman up for silly schenanigans is not what I was intending!” “No Headmistress, I didn’t mean to wake you up, I was just walking through Hogsmeade when I remembered something very important…and I had to get back to my room as soon as possible…and then I started cleaning and….” McGonagall stared at him with her piercing cat eyes “And what reason would that be, Mr. Longbottom?” 

Neville glanced over towards the bed but the green woman was nowhere in sight. A gasp of relief escaped him momentarily before the older woman moved in front of his eyesight with a contemplating look upon her face. “To clean? Oh! The reason I apparated…of course I …uhh…I forgot to…feed my…kneazle?” he said with a half grin that he hoped would pass as the truth. McGonagall’s eyes pierced his and then slowly moved over him with a look of concentration as if looking to find the lie on the rest of his body.

“So. You finally replaced Trevor then… I know his loss has been very…hard on you…and I really am glad that you are moving on but…please tell me you that through this transiton you have found the ability to remember that your knickers go under your trousers and not in your pocket?” She questioned as she raised an eyebrow.

“What?" he responded as he realised the boxers were still hanging by his side. Neville turned another bright shade of red as the woman began to walk farther into the room glancing around. "I yes...your Headmistress, like I said I was cleaning and.." 

"You know we do have laundry service for just this type of thing. One would think you would take advantage of that every now and again... Now, where is this kneazle you have aquired as a new companion, you know I do have a fondness for such animals and…why do you have so many healing potions out? Did you get bit by another mandrake, you know you being the Herbology teacher and all I Would think you would have a handle on..." She was cut off by Neville.

"No…I uhh had run into...umm...my dresser and cut myself and had to clean myself up and uhh...it's really no bother…and the kneazle is very shy and doesn’t like other people yet so it’s best if you go..." He attempted to steer the woman back towards the door, without making it too obvious he wanted her out of the room.

"Well Mr. Longbottom, if you are going to use your ability to apparate at such menial tasks, I shall have to think twice about allowing certain professors the pass through the wards for their forgetful sake. I assume you have not Forgotten the staff meeting and we will see you bright and early tomorrow morning?" she said with a look of authority. 

"YES! Yes headmistress! I will see you bright and early tomorrow! Thank you for checking on me! Please go and get some sleep and I will see you tomorrow!" He said trying not to sound too pleading.

McGonagall was just near the doorway now, a skeptical look on her face as he pressed her towards it. "Oh and Mr. Longbottom, if you are planning on impressing a new lady friend, I would HIGHLY recommend that you make this place a little more...tidy in the future." She said smirking as she nodded towards the black dress on the floor.

Neville turned another bright shade of pink and proceeded to push the woman out the door "Yes...I mean no. I don't' mean to...but if I were to...I would...but I'm not, and I'm just so tired. You know? but thank you for the advice and I'll see you in the morning and...and ...Thank you goodnight!" as he clicked the door shut. Neville pressed his hands against the door then began to slowly knock his head against it.

"oh bollocks..." he whispered leaning into the door he turned his head to the right, a look of utter embarrassment and defeat on his face. Turning back towards the center of the room he watched as the green woman emerged from the far side of the room. She was wearing one of his work out shirts, that hung right above her knees that said "New owl, who dis" on it. He chuckled to himself and ran his hands through his hair. How much stranger can this night get. he thought. "Hi." he said softly walking towards her "I'm sorry about that, I.." 

"No. I should be the one who is sorry…that was such an awfully ridiculous exchange…" Elphaba said "I hope I didn't get you into any trouble... I just woke up in a strange place and I was NAKED and.." 

"Oh! Yes, here let me help you." he said taking out his wand "Accio leggings" Just then one of the drawers on the bureau against the wall opened up and a pair of black leggings rose out of the drawer, into the air straight over to Elphaba. "Sweet oz, is that a wand?!" Elphaba exclaimed, plucking the leggings from the air a look of astonishment on her face. "I…Thank you. I hope you don't mind...I found this on the floor and…I was cold and...you just happen to have an extra pair of stockings laying round? For a lady friend?” she asked with a smirk.

"Oh no…they were…an ex’s…umm…here, let me fix that. INCENDIO!" he said pointing at the fireplace set near the kitchen. Walking over he placed a few more logs onto the fire and poked it with a stick before turning around, allowing her time to change and time for him to get his mind right. 

"you ‘right?... I'm Neville....Neville Longbottom..." he said turning to face her when she murmured a reply. 

"Yes, I’m decent now…Elphaba...I’m Elphaba…" she didn't give a surname, but Neville didn't press.

"How are you feeling? Does your side hurt? How about your head?" Neville asked with concern. 

"It feels a lot better, did you...did you use a spell on me?" Elphaba nervously answered.

Neville laughed “No just a slight charm, but I did use a couple potions to help with the pain, and to quicken the healing process." 

"So, you're a wizard...and this is a school I take it?" She asked, trying not to sound too excited.

"Yes, this is Hogwarts the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are you familiar with magic, or are you a....muggle?"

"A what?" Elphaba exclaimed, "I am NOT a thief!"

“HAHA, no. no. A muggle is what we call someone with no magical ability here in the UK." He answered, attempting to calm her nerves.

Elphaba responded by moving her fingers in the air, causing the boxers to lift magically out of his pocket and into the nearby clothes hamper.

"Ahhh! Wandless magic! What school did you attend Mrs. Elphaba?" he said as he picked up his tea kettle and pointed to it in question

"You...you can call me Elphie...and it's just miss..." she said avoiding his eye contact and changing the subject back "I went to Shiz University...but that was a long time ago..."

"I've think I've heard it, it's in Gillikin right?" he said as he grabbed two tea cups from a cupboard placing a tea bag in each. 

"Yes, in Oz. So, I take it we're in England?"

"Scotland actually, but I'm originally from Newcastle. Here eat this, it will make you feel better and please sit." he said as he passed her a half-wrapped chocolate bar from the ice box and nodded to the living space.

"Chocolate? Really?" she laughed

"It's MAGICAL chocolate...trust me..." he said winking as he poured water into each of the mugs. She took a bite.

"Better?" he said. Amazingly...she DID feel better almost instantly! 

"Better." she said with a shy smile climbing into one of the loveseats set next to the fire. He smiled back and handed her a mug.

"I'm sorry if I pry, but what brings you all the way here from OZ?" Neville asked sipping his tea.

“I...I'm really not sure to be honest. I had cast a spell to send me somewhere safe, and this is where it brought me." 

"Well, trust me Hogwarts is one of the safest places you can be. Usually...but don't worry, feel free to stay here as long as you would like. I can talk to the headmistress and..."

"No. No One can know I'm here…the Ozian guard is looking for me and if they find me...I don’t know what they’ll do this time…I…” she paused looking at Neville’s face. She pleaded with her words as well as with her eyes. He was watching her with a kind attentive expression. She couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at her that way. She looked down into her tea cup. ”I’m…I’m not wicked…I promise, I just…I got caught on the wrong end of a bunch of lies and…I really don’t want to talk about it right now, if that’s alright…I mean…if you want me to leave I can just…”

"No stay. If you feel safe here, stay. I’m not going on much, but I would never think to put wicked by your name. Please, Elphie...I know you don't know me, but you can trust me, and I want to help you." Neville conceded 

"Why on earth would you want to help a strange GREEN woman you found in the snow?" she responded. 

Making eye contact with her again he said "It doesn’t matter what color you are, I can see the good in you. In your eyes." he said softly, turning away embarrassed and clearing his throat. “Ahem…well, you must be exhausted and...and you need to get some rest, so you can heal and we can worry about all of that tomorrow." He said rambling "I have to get up in a few hours for work but, please take the bed, I'll sleep here on the couch."

"I couldn't impose I.."

"Please. I insist. The loo is over passed the kitchen, and if you get hungry or thirsty just make yourself at home." he said as he grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa and placed it on the longer couch. "Make yourself comfortable and please let me know if you need anything." he said as he walked over to the bathroom. 

Elphaba yawned and got up from the loveseat moving over to the four-poster bed. She climbed in under the covers and laid her head down on one of the pillows, thoughts swirling in her head. She had heard the stories of Hogwarts of course, so if they were as true as they were told, then maybe the spell had really worked, and the broom really had brought her somewhere safe.

Neville closed the bathroom door behind him and walked over to the sink. He held on to the side, looking at himself in the mirror. What are you thinking?! he thought to himself. There's no way he could hide her here without someone noticing. McGonagall already suspects something is going on. And everyone around he was so nosy. Ugh. He turned the faucet on and splashed water on his face. Sleep will be good. He'll figure something out tomorrow. He stripped off his vest, shirt and slacks and threw on some pajama pants laying on the floor. I really need to clean up this place. Tomorrow, he had the staff meeting and a day full of classes. At least he had an open period shortly before lunch. I'll figure it out tomorrow, once I can clear my head. Opening the door to the bathroom, he noticed she was already lying in bed on her side facing away from him. Walking to the couch, he grabbed a throw pillow and laid down on the couch covering himself with the blanket. "Nox....good night..." he whispered as the lights turned off. "Good night.." he heard faintly back, as he settled down to rest. 

\----*****-----

 

Elphaba slept until she heard the faint sound of an alarm going off. She raised her head off the pillow, Ewww, she'd been drooling, and wiped the spit off the side of her mouth. The alarm persisted. Huh…he must be sound asleep she thought. Sitting up completely, she put her feet off the side of the bed and began to walk towards the noise. Glancing over at the couch she stopped abruptly. Oh Sweet Oz, he was shirtless. Her eyes widened at the sleeping figure before her. He had one muscular arm draped over his eyes, and the other down at his side. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so she could see his ripping chest and abs rise and fall with each breath he took. The blanket had been kicked down towards his feet and floor so she could see the distinct v lines of his abs that lead towards the edge of his pajama pants. He was HOT. In the frenzy of everything last night, she hadn't had the chance to get a good look at him. Sure he was handsome with kind hazel eyes and a strong jaw but this was the first time to see him in his element. A rush of heat flowed over her body, and she had to shake her head to get her mind to work correctly. She reached over him to the glowing object that was tucked between him and the couch, making such a ruckus, but she brushed his side in the process waking him with a jolt. She stepped back quickly- slipping on the corner of the blanket making her lose her balance and fall forward towards the couch. He caught her just inches before she face-planted into him, her body falling almost in sync with his, one hand on his chest and the other near his hip. 

"whoa! Are you ok?" he said, his face inches from hers. Their eyes made contact and they both flushed at the intimate closeness they found themselves in. She could feel his heart through his chest beating fast from the quick scare as he tried to sit up and help her catch her balance. She sat up at the same time, her legs falling on either side of his. 

"Yes...Thanks…I'm sorry something was making noise and you were sleeping so hard and…." Her words fell to silence when she realized she was practically straddling him. She scrambled back farther on the couch to put some space between them, and winced as she moved her side a little faster than she was ready for, grasping it with her hand.

“Careful there, you don’t want to umm…right…Here, let me take a look…” he said trying to shake the warm feeling that had just traveled through his body from the close proximity of her moments before. He reached toward her, then stopped, looking up at her face “I mean…if it’s ok…may I?” 

Elphaba met his warm stare, “Yes.” She whispered, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.  
He once again reached toward her, keeping his eyes locked on hers, and his fingers brushed the bottom edge of her t-shirt. She let out a sharp gasp as his warm fingers brushed her side at the lifting of the garment. He smiled at the sudden movement she made at his contact and began to peel away the bandage underneath. 

“This’ll need to be changed every few hours until it’s properly healed, but it’s looking much better already…I know it’s none of my business and I understand if you don’t want to talk about it but…what happened to you?” he said running his fingers over the partially healed wound. 

“I was working with the resistance in OZ. As you know the wizarding war affected places all over the World. I was blamed and labeled a Wicked witch for things I didn’t do...and some I wish I could take back…and well long story short I have been on the run trying to make a difference in this world and hopefully clear my name. Once the Wizard of OZ was found to be a hoax, the country still thought of me as Wicked and so I tried to set things straight once and for all…obviously that didn’t work too well…To top it all off, my best friend and I had a big falling out, my…boyfriend betrayed me and…Hey! That stings!” 

“Sorry, just a few more minutes” Neville had been startled by the word boyfriend. Why? He’d only just met this woman. This woman who just admitted she’s on the run from the Guard no less. Why was he finding himself jealous over a silly word like boyfriend? “Please, continue…”  
“There’s not much more to tell honestly…I…I’m on my own now. I have to find a way to make things right, and clear my name for good. Only then will I be free…”

Neville nodded to himself as he finished dressing the wound with a new bandage. “Thank you for telling me. I know that Voldemort is dead, but there are still followers out there creating trouble in the world, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I want the world to just…go back to normal…whatever that is…I’d like to help you out however I can.”

“You don’t even know me. How do you know that I’m someone GOOD to help? For all you know I could be a crazy woman with an army of flying monkeys…which isn’t exactly how it actually works but still!” Elphaba exclaimed, standing up.

“Like I said before...I can see it in your eyes…wait…flying monkeys?” he said looking up at her. She paused, meeting his gaze. Sweet Oz he had beautiful eyes. She thought, not daring to look away. “It’s complicated…”

Neville stood up, walking towards the bathroom. “Right…well I need to shower before my staff meeting, please help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen, there is coffee and tea… are you hungry? I could get the house elves to bring in some breakfast if you’d like.” 

“House elves? This establishment has elves as slaves?” Elphaba said with a look of shock on her face. “That is the exact kind of thing I was trying to stop in Oz!”

Neville turned and chuckled out loud “Wow, you should meet Hermione, I think you two would have a lot in common. No, the house elves are paid for their work here at Hogwarts. They love their work all the same though. Did you want something to eat or no?” 

“That would be wonderful, thank you, anything would be fine.” 

Neville produced his wand and recited “Expecto Patronum”. A long mist was produced from his wand as he told it “The usual breakfast please, double order this time. Come alone.” and then the mist vanished through the wall as if it had a mind of its own. 

“Sweet Oz, that’s a patronus charm! I’ve never seen one in person! Doesn’t it usually take the form of an animal?” she exclaimed with delight.

Neville looked down embarrassed “Yes, well for normal people it does...mine just…hasn’t got there quite yet…”

“Oh…I didn’t mean to offend you, I mean it’s really quite impressive. I would love it if you’d show how it’s done sometime.” she smiled at him.

“Thanks…I’d be happy to…well I’m going to get cleaned up. There’s some clothes in the bottom drawer of the dresser if you need something to wear, and after I’m done you’re welcome to shower if you’d like...”  
“No. I can’t do water, it’s a weird...skin condition… thing...anyways I’ll be fine, do what you need, don’t worry I won’t go anywhere.” she added just before Neville shrugged and closed himself in the bathroom.  
Elphaba sat back onto the couch with her bag in tow. Digging through her bad she accessed her few meager belongings. She really needed to be prepared to run if she needed to. She still couldn’t believe her luck with finding this place. And Neville. He really seemed like a genuinely nice guy, who really did want to help her. And those eyes, sweet Oz those eyes. Her pulse began to rush at the thought, her head reeling, face flushing. What is this feeling? It was altogether quite impossible to describe. Shaking her head, Come on Elphie concentrate. She began to make a list of all the items she would need to acquire to replenish her bag back up to it’s usual standards. Being on the run for years, it became easier to figure out what was really needed, and what she could do without. She was lost in her thoughts and before long a POP sounded that startled her with a quick yelp.

A small elf about two foot tall appeared with a large tray of bacon, hotcakes, eggs smothered in cheese, a large fruit bowl, and a large pitcher of a delicious smelling liquid. The elf was wearing a knitted tea cozy with a large W on the front, and looked just as startled to see Elphaba as she was to see the elf. “Oh! The professor Longbottom has a lady friend in his room!” the little elf squealed with delight. “The mistress Hermoine will be so glad to hear of such things!”

Neville threw open the door of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Winky! No! You must not tell anyone that I have a lady…a…a friend in my room. Especially Hermoine. Now please just set the tray on the table. Do you understand? You may not tell ANYONE that there was anyone in here but me, alright?” Elphaba was taken aback by the sight of Neville clad only in a towel. It was being held up by one hand low at his hips, and his skin glistened from the moisture of a fresh hot shower. His hair was slicked back, and Elphaba had to look away with embarrassment that her mouth was hanging open.

“Yes Professor, Winky knows when not to say things when people tell Winky not to say the things. Winky understands, and Winky is very happy for the professor. Winky is glad the professor has found a friend just like mistress Abbott! Winky will not tell, Winky knows not to tell!” 

“Good….umm...thank you Winky….” Neville said with a slight jilt to his tone. So it was true. Hannah had moved on. He shook his head, “Can you make sure that no other house elves enter my room for the immediate future? Only you. This must be kept a secret, alright?” The elf nodded with enthusiasm. “Winky, this is….Larry…She is going to be staying with me for a while. If she needs anything, will you please accommodate her and not tell ANYONE that you saw her, or what you got for her?” Elphaba’s eyebrows rose at the mention of her ‘new name’ and the possibility of this small elf coming around again.

“Yes professor Longbottom, Winky is here to serve, and Winky won’t tell anyone. Winky will make sure all the others stay out of the professor’s rooms! Winky promises!! “ She exclaimed as the little house elf grabbed Elphaba’s hands shaking them profusely “Mistress Larry must tell Winky everything she needs and Winky will get all the things. Winky won’t tell anyone of the Mistress Larry or of the things. Winky promises!!”

“uhhh…Thank you Winky…It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Elphaba stammered, equally bewildered by the whole encounter while trying to both get her hands back from the small elf and avoid staring at Neville’s half naked torso. 

“The pleasure is Winky’s! Winky will come back later. Winky knows when professor has classes and will clean! Winky does not approve of the mess he leaves for the mistress Larry. It’s not proper for a lady friend and Winky will..”

“That’s enough for now Winky. Thank you. Don’t forget, Don’t tell ANYONE.”  
“Yes professor. Winky knows.” The little elf winked at Elphaba and then vanished with a snap of her fingers. “Sorry I didn’t think she would be here so fast. I should have warned you about how overwhelming she can be…”

“Wow she’s an excited little handfull isn’t she? She kind of reminds me of Glinda in a weird sort of way...huh…and LARRY? Seriously?” Elphaba laughed out loud.

“Flying monkeys? Seriously? Well to be completely honest, I really have been thinking about getting a new pet recently, and after last night it looks like it’s going to be a kneazle if I’m going to save face to the headmaster. I figured a male name would be a good cover and I’ve always been fond of the name La…what?”  
Elphaba looked away as she realized she’d be staring again. “Nothing…nothing..” 

“Who’s Glinda?” Neville asked as he pulled out some fresh clothes from a closet and laid them on the bed. He grabbed a pair of boxer briefs from the dresser and proceded to pull them up under the towel.  
Elphaba looked down at her lap to avoid getting caught watching him dress. Get it together Elphie. “uh…yes….Glinda is…er…was my best friend…the one I was telling you about…before” She moved over to the table where all the fresh warm food had recently been placed. She began to make herself a plate of all the excellent smelling food as she continued.  
“I don’t really know where we stand right now but…she was a good friend…she changed me…for good…Oh sweet OZ this is delicious” she exclaimed as she took a bite “I feel like I haven’t tasted anything like this in years!”

“That’s sad to hear” Neville said sitting down, now clad in a sharp pair of trousers, button up shirt and tight vest that fit him just right. Elphaba almost dropped the piece of bacon in her mouth as he sat down. “Please eat all you like, the elves here are great chefs and I have a meeting to get to so…what?” he asked questioning her expression.

“No..uhh..nothing…this is really great. I can’t thank you enough.” She said scooping a spoonful of eggs into her mouth.

“Well don’t thank me yet, we have some errands to run once I have my free period and lunch later today. Just be ready at 11, and we’ll go to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley before my afternoon classes. That way we can get what we both need. It’ll be a quick trip so be ready.” He said pouring himself a glass from the pitcher on the table.  
“What is that? It smells divine!” she said popping a honey dew melon piece in her mouth, trying to shake her thoughts.  
“It’s pumpkin juice! If you think it smells great now, wait till you taste it! Muggles call it ‘Pumpkin Spice’ and they only get it for a couple months of the year if you can believe that. Yet another reason why I love being a wizard.” Elphaba poured herself a drink. She gasped at the taste, it was amazing! “Those poor people only get this a few short months? Bugger that” she said taking another sip.  
Neville downed his glass. “Anyways, I’ve got to go. Here take this” He handed her a small pin with some numbers on it. “It’s enchanted with a charm. If you touch this 7 times in succession, it will alert me that you need me to find you, and I’ll come back right away”. He said pointing at a similar matching pin inside his vest pocket. “Think you’ll be alright here until I get back?”  
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, and if I need anything there’s always Winky.” She said walking him to the door.  
“That’s right, just call her name and she’ll ‘pop’ in. Please make yourself at home and…” Elphaba leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Really. I can’t thank you enough.” She whispered, flushing with embarrassment at what she had just done.  
An equally pink faced Neville stammered “My…my pleasure” as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

\----*****-----  
To be continued...


End file.
